As a Baton Rouge business, we witnessed firsthand the devastation caused to Louisiana residents and businesses from the recent flooding. While most locals band together in times like this to rebuild, there are others who use these events to take advantage of vulnerable homeowners. At Re-Bath of South Louisiana, we want to help you stay armed with the insight, tools and resources needed to choose a reliable contractor when restoring your home or business. Accordingly, below is a list of tips for how to choose a restoration contractor after a flood or any other disaster.​

Request contractor licenses and insurance – Many contractors in the state of Louisiana are not licensed or insured to perform the required work you will need to restore your home or business. Especially after disasters of this magnitude, it is imperative that you choose a reliable contractor that will provide quality construction services to local code and have a history of standing behind their work. Verify credentials every time to avoid disasters.

Experience Matters with Insurance Companies – most flood victims will be receiving some type of reimbursement either from their insurance company or FEMA to restore their home or business. When choosing a reputable contractor, you need to insure that they have experience in dealing with government and insurance companies. A reliable restoration contractor will clearly understand insurance payouts and process to make the rebuilding process simple and get the offer the best arrangement possible to complete your flood repairs.

Payments to Contractors – understand clearly how your flood repair contractor wants to be paid. NEVER pay any contractor in full prior to completion of work. If this is what’s required, find another restoration specialist. In times of disasters, or any times, no reputable contractor should ask for a full up-front payment. Most reliable Baton Rouge contractors will accept a deposit to begin work and collect the remaining portion either as the job progresses or once repairs are complete.

Request References & Check Online Reviews – after a flood or other natural disaster, new companies come out of the woodwork labeling themselves as restoration contractors, remodeling contractors, or flood repair experts. Avoid these fly-by-night repair contractors like the plague. Before choosing a contractor for flood repairs, ask for references. Look at the contractor’s website for examples of work previously done. Do they have repair expertise in this area? Look for online reviews. Do they have a history of satisfied customers? Ensure the repair contractor you choose has ample experience and offers quality workmanship and service after the sale is done.

Get a Timeline – working with repairs after a flood or other disaster creates a different level of urgency than the typical construction renovation. Flood victims want to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible. Typically living in a temporary location, it’s crucial for you to be able to finish your repairs quickly, get back into your home or business, and resume life as normal. A reliable contractor will understand this. They will work expeditiously to clean, gut, repair and restore your home to normal quickly and effectively. At Re-Bath of South Louisiana, we can have new bathrooms restored in as little as one day! Just think if every contractor worked this quickly. Nothing beats a one day bathroom remodel when you’re living with the in-laws!

Overall, Re-Bath of South Louisiana stands ready to assist homeowners and business owners from Tangipahoa to Baton Rouge and across the many parishes that have been affected by the recent floods. We offer you reliable, reputable service, repair experience, and turnkey bathroom remodeling to accelerate your home or business repair and get your life back to normal.

​Welcome to our first blog post for Re-Bath of South Louisiana! We’re excited to tell you about our 10 Best Bathroom Design Trends for 2016! We have been around for decades and know exactly what the trends are every year. Check out our list below for these hot new design bathroom trends.

Disappearing Bathtubs... Today, there are a ton of reasons why bathtubs are not so popular any longer. We can attribute this to the ever-growing “green” trend. For when taking a shower is compared to taking a bath, more water is significantly wasted when taking baths. Another major reason why bathtubs are not so popular anymore is we all are living much busier lives. Unfortunately, people seem to be over-loaded with their busy schedules, hence, no time for those relaxing baths we all once loved. Others might even say that when remodeling a home, people have a much smaller budget to work with so bathtubs only add to the overall expense when it comes to remodeling. So, the money that would have been spent on your jetted tub and that particular space is allocated to a bigger and more magnificent shower! Statistically, residential architects are stating they are being asked to design and build so many more bathtub-free bathrooms with huge showers than in all previous years.

Expansive Walk-In Showers... It might sound funny to you, however, showering is a hot trend for 2016. Everyone showers once a day or at least a few times weekly right? Well, that means most people are showering and not taking baths. Now, that means most do not even need a bathtub which frees up a ton of space for a gorgeous, magnanimously-sized new walk-in shower. This is how the thinking goes for the hot new bathroom design trend for 2016. What people are looking for is to have a more open-feeling type of bathroom, especially when it comes to the space in the shower. Walk-in showers, also called “curbless showers,” “doorless showers,” and “no threshold showers” are the trend. This also adds accessibility for those, particularly seniors, who might have a hard time stepping up and over, in order to get into the shower or tub area.

Metallic Fixtures...We all know and probably even have had the plain old stainless steel bathroom fixtures, even though it’s not as interesting as it used to be due to all the new and up and coming possibilities available. We have hot new trendy bathroom fixtures which are available in many interesting finishes and colors. What you want to look for is brushed nickel, chrome, and oil-rubbed bronze. There are even beautiful different warm colored brass, copper, and bronze metals.

Bathtubs which are Free-Standing...We know that some do not want to give up their bathtub. Understandable. So, for those who do want to keep their bathtubs, now trending are the stand alone tubs that save a ton of space. For example, the soaking tubs and the spa-jet tubs are a couple of the new trends for 2016. These walk-in showers and what we call freestanding tubs are definitely trending for 2016.

Toilets that are Water-Saving...A new trend for 2016 is the energy-efficient and cost-efficient dual-flow factors as well as low-flow toilets. These are in very high demand at this time. There are also faucets that are made to be increasingly efficient and user-friendly. I’m sure you know the sensor-operated faucets that are currently in most hospitals and medical offices today? Well, they are now coming into our homes for efficiency and savings on the water bill.

Vanities with Sinks...These are coming back in popularity for 2016. Especially, in the master bathroom, the his-and-hers double-sink vanities are the trend for 2016. Forget about bumping elbows and infringing on your spouse’s space in the upcoming year!

Hand Showers...These have been around for many years, however for this year, these hand showers are trending big time. It is simply easier to be able to direct the flow of water to where you want it.

Floors that are Heated...So many people are now asking for heated flooring, especially living in an area where it is very cold most of the year. Getting up and walking on the cold tile is just not something you want to do in the early mornings. Be on the lookout for this hot new trend in the future.

High-Tech Faucets...Another thing that is trending is our faucets. They are more efficient and user-friendly as well. These sensor-operated faucets have been in hospitals and medical offices but are now hitting our homes as well. These are the trend for 2016.

LED Lighting...LED lighting is in big demand for the bathroom, as well as anywhere else in the home. It’s a huge energy saver and can really help bring down that electricity bill.

​We hope you enjoyed our Re-Bath of South Louisiana list of the ten hot bathroom design trends for 2016. Use our list to build your new house and/or for a little freshening up in all your bathrooms.

Check back often! Our Re-Bath of South Louisiana blog will be up soon with all the relevant tips and tricks for turning your bathroom into the beautiful, safe haven you've always dreamed! For your bathroom remodeling needs, turn to Re-Bath, the leader in affordable bathroom remodeling.